Water risk assessment

Verro R, Calliera M, Maffioli G, Auteri D, Sala S, Finizio A, Vighi M (2002) GIS-based system for surface water risk assessment of agricultural chemicals. 1. Methodological approach. Environ Sci Technol 36(7) 1532-1538... 

Finally, an equally Important component of ground water risk assessment Is toxicity. Only rarely have levels of pesticides In well water been detected which would cause acute toxicity, unless Improper disposal caused the contamination. Rather, as can be seen In Table III, the pesticide levels are usually In the low ppb range. Therefore, our current toxicity concerns are usually for chronic human toxicity or, occasionally, aquatic toxicity. There Is also the possibility of organisms receiving toxic amounts of pesticide residues over time via blomagnlf1catIon. 

Banwart, S. A., Evans, K. A. Croxford, S. 2002. Predicting mineral weathering rates at field scale for mine water risk assessment. In Younger, P. L. Robins, N. S., (eds) Mine Water Hydrogeology and Geochemistry. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 198, 137-157. 

See also Ecotoxicology Environmental Toxicology Pollution, Water Risk Assessment, Ecological. 

See also Analytical Toxicology Biomarkers, Environmental Ecotoxicology Effluent Biomonitoring Environmental Toxicology Microtox Photochemical Oxidants Pollution, Water Risk Assessment, Ecological. 

Oil-field NORM are an environmental concern because of the potential for human exposure to ionizing radiation. The radium and radium decay products in oil-field NORM present a hazard only if taken into the body by ingestion or inhalation. The external radiation from equipment or waste containing NORM is almost never a significant concern. The discharge of radium in produced water is of concern because it may accumulate in seafood consumed by humans. Since no estabhshed safe level exists for the intake of radium, any consumption of radium in food is of potential concern. However, for the case of radium discharged in produced water, risk assessment studies show that consumption of fish caught near produced water outfalls will not pose an unacceptable human health risk, even in the worst cases. 

P. A. Fenner-Crisp, "Risk Assessment Methods for Pesticides in Food and Drinking Water," Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, presented at the Florida Pesticide Review Council Meeting, July 7, 1989. 

The detection and analysis, including quantification, of cyanobacterial toxins are essential for monitoring their occurrence in natural and controlled waters used for agricultural purposes, potable supplies, recreation and aquaculture. Risk assessment of the cyanobacterial toxins for the protection of human and animal health, and fundamental research, are also dependent on efficient methods of detection and analysis. In this article we discuss the methods developed and used to detect and analyse cyanobacterial toxins in bloom and scum material, water and animal/clinical specimens, and the progress being made in the risk assessment of the toxins. 

In order to counter the hazards presented to health by cyanobacterial toxins, management actions concerning potable and recreational waters are required. These actions include risk assessment and monitoring programmes which rely on sensitive, accurate toxin analysis methods. 

It is obvious from the provisional risk assessment values for microcystins, and, being of the same order of magnitude of mammalian toxicity, similar values may be calculated for the cyanobacterial neurotoxins, that sensitive detection methods are required to detect these low concentrations of toxins. Of the biological methods of detection discussed earlier, the mouse and invertebrate bioassays are not sensitive enough without concentration of water samples, in that they are only able to detect mg of microcystins per litre. Only the immunoassays (ng-/rg 1 and the protein phosphatase inhibition assays (ng O... 

The final article, by S. G. Bell and G. A. Codd of the University of Dundee Department of Biological Services, is concerned with detection, analysis, and risk assessment of cyanobacterial toxins. These can be responsible for animal, fish, and bird deaths and for ill-health in humans. The occurrence of toxic cyanobacterial blooms and scums on nutrient-rich waters is a world-wide phenomenon and cases are cited from Australia, the USA, and China, as well as throughout Europe. The causes, indentification and assessment of risk, and establishment of criteria for controlling risk are discussed. 

Tines, S. P., et al., 1990, Results of the Level 1 Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Internal Events for Heavy Water Production Reactors, ANS Topical Meeting, The Safety, Status and Future of Non-Commercial Reactors and Irradiation Facilities, Boise ID, September. 31 -October 4... 

Start by doing a risk assessment and identify those things on which continuity of business depends power, water, labor, materials, components, services, etc. Determine what could cause a termination of supply and estimate the probability of occurrence. For those with a relatively high probability (1 in 100) find ways to reduce the probability. For those with lower probability (1 in 10000) determine the action needed to minimize the effect. The FMEA technique works for this as well as for products and processes. 

Much of the attention focused on e.xposure assessment has come recently. This is because many of the risk assessments done in tlie past used too many conseix ative assumptions, wliich caused an ovcrcstimation of the actual exposure. Without exposures there are no risks. To experience adverse effects, one must first come into contact with the toxic agent(s). Exposures to chemicals can be via inlialation of air (brcatliing), ingestion of water and food (eating and drinking), or absorption Uu ough the skin. These arc all pathways to the human body. 

Tauxe-Wuersch A, De Alencastro LF, Grandjean D, Tarradellas J (2005) Occurrence of several acidic dmgs in sewage treatment plants in Switzerland and risk assessment. Water Res 39 1761-1772... 

Monte Carlo simulation, an iterative technique which derives a range of risk estimates, was incorporated into a trichloroethylene risk assessment using the PBPK model developed by Fisher and Allen (1993). The results of this study (Cronin et al. 1995), which used the kinetics of TCA production and trichloroethylene elimination as the dose metrics relevant to carcinogenic risk, indicated that concentrations of 0.09-1.0 pg/L (men) and 0.29-5.3 pg/L (women) in drinking water correspond to a cancer risk in humans of 1 in 1 million. For inhalation exposure, a similar risk was obtained from intermittent exposure to 0.07-13.3 ppb (men) and 0.16-6.3 ppb (women), or continuous exposure to 0.01-2.6 ppb (men) and 0.03-6.3 ppb (women) (Cronin et al. 1995). 

Bogen KT, Hall LC, Perry L, et al. 1988. Health risk assessment of trichloroethylene (TCE) in California drinking water. Livermore, CA University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division. NTIS No. DE88-005364. 

Cotruvo JA. 1988. Drinking water standards and risk assessment. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 8 288-299. 

Fan AM. 1988. Trichloroethylene Water contamination and health risk assessment. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 101 55-92. 

Cyanide contamination creates special public information problems, e.g. it is difficult to explain why cyanide is not included in the current drinking water standards but that aquatic organisms are affected at relatively low cyanide concentration. There is confusion on whether fresh water standards are based on free or complexed cyanides. Fortunately, the provision of a permanent drinking water supply to each affected household removed risk assessment as a major issue. 

It is a regulatory requirement that analytical methods be developed to determine residues of concern in crops, feed, and food commodities as well as environmental samples (air, soil, and water). Methods for crops, feed, and food commodities are required for enforcement purposes but are also needed for a variety of other purposes, such as gathering monitoring data for risk assessment. For nearly any purpose, the methods must be robust, that is, when used by different analysts in several laboratories, they should provide reproducibly similar results. 

In the USA, the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996 has had a significant impact on the determination of residues in drinking water. FQPA requires that all sources of a pesticide be included in its risk assessment, so the potential exposure from drinking water containing a particular pesticide could be a significant... 

---